i don't, cuz i don't understand why i should (haven't seen the video yet). i definitely check in mono. i can't hear phase yet but still a good practice. also gives an idea about how it'll sound on mono devices.
Not nearly as often as I should. I do check, though.Mono is great. I can't remember exactly where it was but yesterday or a couple of days ago during an interview someone said he was mixing listening from his phone. In fact, the mix apparently sounded great.
Frozn Colors When you watch the video, Warren shows you multiple examples. Lots of music is listened to on mono speakers (think restaurant ceiling speakers, little Bluetooth speakers, etc.). You can lose a lot of energy and ambience with certain moves, and you can also actually lose entire chunks of audio due to phase issues.
Not for long periods, but I check my mix in mono periodically. It helps with arrangement of the parts as well as ensuring that your mix works well everywhere.
There's a few misconceptions in comments: 1) "Setting balances in mono will result in better stereo balances." No. You cannot fly blind by setting levels in mono and assuming that everything will be dandy when you switch back to stereo (unless you learn how mono sounds). You will almost certainly end up with low levels on the mid channel compared to the sides if you don't know what you're aiming (listening) for. 2) "Mixing in mono is about mono compatibility." Not exclusively. Most of the value comes from setting balances (when you know what to aim for) and *drum roll* using eq. Mono helps you make informed eq decisions, because it places all of the tracks on top of one another thereby forcing you to create separation (get your way out of all that masking) without resorting to only panning. A big takeaway should be that your stereo mixes can benefit from mixing in mono even if you don't care about mono compatibility. If you care about stereo then you should care about mono...learn mono. In addition to Warren's excellent video, check out Dan Worrall's "How to mix in stereo.." and Gregory Scott's "Hit that mono button..." video. Cheers.
Agree. Just this week I learned my lesson on this, mixing a live performance of a vocal duo with one playing acoustic guitar. The stereo mix came alive after EQ'ing the tracks until they separated in mono. I must add here: each of the three mics bled into the other two and, per Warren's advice, I bought and applied the Sound Radix "Auto-Align" phase alignment plugin. I went in circles for days until applying Auto-Align (step 1).
meh, after a while of mixing in TRUE MONO (ONE MONITOR) you can train your ears in new ways. I pan channels, even adding panning automation IN MONO, because I can hear what it's doing regardless if it's in mono. i know what it's doing. and then I can quickly A/B in stereo with headphones. here's my manifesto - music production is completely subjective, and there are no rules. except that you should never squash your entire mix with a limiter that has the threshold pulled all the way back lol
@@ProDoucher it should go without saying that if you have audio coming from multiple sources, it's not mono. the definition of mono is ONE, SINGLE, LONE..... this means that if you want to truly hear your mix in mono, you must not use headphones, you must not use A PAIR of studio monitors. you must use ONE studio monitor. that is the only possible way to hear your mix in true mono, otherwise you are getting what I call fugazi mono
As a newbie to mixing, the best thing I learnt from this video, that I never thought about, was the relationship between the toms & snare with Toms panning away from snares @12.32
I work in Mono: 1) Starting with Faders down, adjust volume levels; 2) I use LCR/Left-Center-Right panning to get my stereo image. I aim for balance in 3 dimensions with Width (pan), Height/amplitude &. frequency, and Depth. My goal is to achieve Clarity, Separation, Balance and Space by treating the mixer like an instrument. Remember that you lose -3db with extreme LCR panning. I use delays to create movement and depth. Then maybe EQ a little. I look for/identify Phase issues. In Logic I do this by using the Correlation Meter plugin. I then fix any Phase issues using the Gain (inversion function) or Sample Delay plugins (delay one channel slightly) ; 3) Switch back to mono and fine-tune any remaining issues by adjusting faders. Done.
_"When something has phase / polarity issues, it's a little dizzying"_ Same for me, it wasn't always that way, but now when I hear something out of phase (it has to be quite out of phase, not something subtle) it actually makes me feel mildly nauseous, this is even more the case when listening on headphones.
You and only you can explain such extreme minor details in a mix while others are teaching us to pan things with our eyes............ You are ' mostest Awesomest'......❤️❤️❤️
Another good free plugin for checking this stuff is Panipulator by Boz. Not only does it let you switch between mono and stereo, as well as flip L&R, but it also lets you flip the phase for each channel.
Love that channel swap tool even if it becomes trippy at first, once you've got used to it being the other way around. Also, nice to see good old Glenn pop his head in the video.
Great video as always, Warren ! Just to react to something you said: in the live world, lots of desks have separate stereo and mono, for a bunch of different reasons. In theater, you often use mono for your center point, and route all spoken voices to it. The main reason being, it allows you to achieve separation between voices (ie the text itself) and whatever's happening around it (SFX, music). Plus that way, you make sure voices can be heard equally from every seat in the venue. So you pretty much have a "center" fader that allows you to bring voices up and down as needed. Which is pretty useful, especially these days where theater's using lots of live music, a variety of pre-programmed sounds, video, etc. For concert/live music, we often drive the subs in mono, so as to make them more efficient. Low frequencies being pretty much omnidirectional by nature, stereo perception of them is skewed, and I feel using mono for lows "anchors" them better, especially for large venues where you can't get a row of subs at the front (because there's seats there) and they are sometimes 20 meters apart. As you typically get some low-end in the hanging arrays (on the system I often mix on, the 15s are set to go down to 80Hz or so, with the 18s on the floor delivering the 25-ish to 80 range) it allows to only route things such as kick drum and bass guitar (or some keyboards) to the subs, hence achieving more separation and clarity. Also, regarding the mono/stereo thing: mixing sections in mono and suddenly going super wide is a cool way to achieve movement in the mix, and give the illusion that things are bigger and louder. I recently realized this was one of the tricks used in Metallica's Welcome Home (Sanatarium), where the first few iterations of the first guitar arpeggios are mixed in mono, then suddenly everything goes super wide and stereo when drums come in. Sounds brilliant, and kinda gives the feeling you're sucked into the music. Also, in this day and age where lots of people are listening to music on a phone, which basically has mono speakers, or on lots of bluetooth speakers where the drivers are so close to each other that they're pretty much mono, checking for mono compatibility never hurts.
Thanks for another great video! Very informative and helpful as usual. I have something to add to the discussion. Another issue to consider (in addition to phase cancellations) is masking. An element in a mix can stand out more in a mix if panned to a different location in the stereo field relative to other elements. Mono effectively puts everything in the same spot so there's much more masking going on. It's not always phase cancellations causing things to seem lower in the mix while in mono. That's why panning is a tool I like to use when mixing to help certain elements be heard more clearly without having to make them any louder. It's Masking.
hi Warren! really nice video, I always learn something with your material. I think that, the fact of "loosing" some extra sounds while listening in mono is what makes stereo more interesting. What I mean is, for example, that tom you say that gets lost with the kick, in stereo will feel much better, adding something to the stereo mix. PS: I hope you can understand what I tried to comment, English is not my main language. Thank you for sharing all your knowledge!!!
Thanx..... i work on reaper and i will occasionally tick the mono button on the master buss.....but less and less often....I am 61 years old and ypu have taught me so much...thank you for this channel and community
This is interesting how you have to turn up reverb louder when mixing in mono then when you switch back - it's too much. Like you said Warren these are stereo effects and if you choose to mix in Mono, better not put on much reverb early on. That would never work for me because I throw on reverb and ambiance right away and use it on almost everything. The ambiance I use is a major factor that decides a lot of decisions for me that happen after I set it up, and not the other way around. Switching back and forth would totally throw off my mix. In fact reverb is technically different from ambiance and may be even more present than reverb, so there's a lot of ambiance and reverb going on in most mixes on low levels that I'll bet most are unaware of.
My final mono check is listening from a distance to a smartphone speaker but gotta do most of the mix in stereo. I hope this is Glenn Fricker approved! Cheers Warren!!
As a total beginner, I found this very insightful. Eventhough I did not understand most of it, it did reassure me om certain things. I think I'm blessed only having to work on one vocal stereotrack. :-)
Ever since I started mixing in mono I started to make better EQ decisions to make everything sit a bit better. It's really helpful for me. I usually pan and set levels in stereo and then do all my mixing in mono. At the end I switch between stereo and mono (and between different speakers).
Reverb is inherently a spacial quality, and while it's additive effects can be discerned in mono, it's perceived effect can only be experienced in stereo and therefore really has little utility being used in a mono mix. Love this channel. Warren Huart is the real deal.
use the Ozone imager ..and collapse the stereo to a mono line on the graph ...then position the centre away from all the other track pan centres ..then flip it back to stereo ..making sure each centre has its own space ..its easier to check with a line than a jelly fish. Big love to the academy and the show ...YOU ROCK!
I use 3 sets of speakers. One crap pair for a reality check, a mono speaker for checking spacial relativity and distance, and a pair of Adam Audio for pin pointing inaccuracies and getting a fuller impression of a wider frequency band. Works well enough. I like having these different options. I'm on Cubase, and have my Control Room set to specific key commands, meaning I can simply switch between the three sets of speakers by simply pressing one key on my computer keyboard for super fast comparison. I also have a key command for my reference track, which isn't routed through the stereo mix, rather it's a Cue Send, directly to the speakers. Job done. Mostly.
I often use the “Monomaker” control on the Brainworx Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor. I can make everything mono up to a certain frequency I choose. Very effective on the low end. This was a fascinating video topic! Thanks! 🔊🤠👍
When you revert the polarity of guitar on 15-14 the sound dissapeared in mono, but on my speakers I felt like you placed the guitar inside of my head, that's insane!
The benefit I see from mono, other than checking for phase, is being able to hear how things stack on top of each other eq-wise. I like to eq things in mono, but I agree that everything else should probably be done in stereo. The other thing I like to do while mixing in mono is only have one speaker on. I feel like this helps take room issues out. There’s no phantom image with only one speaker. I do not spend the majority of my time like this though. It’s more of a checking thing. When I eq I go back and forth. I’m nobody special, though, so these are just my opinions. Cheers!
John Merrifield, I cant remember who (CLA I believe), but I was watching a video a few years back and he said that when he checks in mono he checks on one speaker. I don’t think he said why, but it just made sense to me. The left and right side of most rooms are different, so your phantom image could be slightly off and telling you something incorrect.
@@cbrooks0905 I think a trick he does is uses smaller amps for recordings. I'll bet this gives him less issues because it means less mic placements. Think about it - which will have more problems and phasing issues(?): - 2 mics on a big cab or one mic on one small cab? In theory neither should, but in real life the more mics you use during a recording at once the more issues will happen. Then again, Soundgarden Superunknown was recorded with 2 mics placed on either side of big Marshall cabs. In many says I like that album better than anything CLA has ever done. I can get close to the CLA sound but can't touch that with a ten foot pole no matter what I try. Playing with thicker strings will usually give you better tone but also make it harder to play and nail a recording fast. It's all a matter of trade-offs. The biggest thing I do to avoid any phasing is I eliminate the room. I do it all in the box, i.e. no acoustic instruments. Then again I'm confused by how CLA works because I believe his role is limited to mixing, so he doesn't record any of the stuff he gets to work with, but does he have some control over how it's recorded? How it's recorded is a huge factor to consider when mixing. I would think with his clout he probably does have some say over it but I wouldn't know. I do know Soundgarden Superunknown was recorded by the same guys who mixed it.
In 2010 I made an EP of early-sounding synth pop, analog monophonic pre-MIDI synths, drum machine and vocals. All tracks were of course in mono. I tried lots of stereo delays and reverbs, but ended up using effects in mono too because the mixing was simply better sounding in mono.
I always always always check in mono a few times. Have been ever since I heard of the single Auratone. The first time I did it it was amazing how you could just place things so nicely and then to pop it back into stereo it blew my mind it was like the best mix I ever had.
I find mono is good for making sure the bass and guitars aren't drowning each other but I wouldn't ever want to start messing with effects in it! It makes more sense to me to mix for stereo in stereo using mono as a monitoring tool! The Abbey Road mastering plugin has the same isolative functions as that Brainworks one and it makes life SO much easier! The first Doctor Feelgood album was recorded in mono when albums had moved over to being stereo to make it more like their 40's/50's influences!
My conclusion is that mono can inform on phase and some EQ issues....masking etc....but beyond that stereo levels and effects are best done in stereo. The reverse appears to be true also....many of the great Beatle mixes were not intended for stereo....Geoff Emerick did not care for the stereo versions of their mono mixes much. It was not the sound they intended. (Although all Beatle mixes sound nearly perfect to me...ha.) Great tips, thanks Warren.
I love using Boz Digital Labs Low CPU free plugin Panipulator. It doesn't do mid-side, but what's really cool is that you can also individually check L polarity or Right polarity, especially in mono mode which is great for checking phase issues. Plus it has mono summing to adjust volume discrepancies...
I use both. I start my mix - before processing - in mono just to get an initial balance. I can activate it easily through my audio interface. Once I’m satisfied I move in to doing the rest of the mix in stereo. This is when I will apply the majority of my processing. When I start my mix in mono it is only to get some of my fundamental eq moves done. I finish the entire process in stereo and make sure that there is at least 12 db of headroom so the mastering engineer has room to work. I don’t think it’s wise to do a bunch of processing when in mono. I’m also not a big fan of a large amount of processing on my tracks to begin with. I shoot for the best possible take. Which makes my initial diecision making when mixing in mono much easier. But I am also doing this with context. Knowing that I’m going to be moving on to doing the rest of my mix and processing in stereo. But the initial mono mixing really helps when initially seeing what I’m working with in a song.
Never done it, not even to check. Flipped it on once, and it just runied a good mix (well, I thought so at the time). Never darkened it's doorstep again
I don't really mix in mono, but I do set my basic levels with the pan centered. It helps figure out where everything sits in the spectrum and masking. Once I have levels set I move on to stereo and only check mono quickly as I build the mix. When I'm done, I check the mix in mono, stereo and also how it sounds through a 5.1 decoder/Home Theater. But, that's just me.
I have a big studio setup and I do almost everything with a mono speaker. It gives me a good perception of the general balance of things. Then I have a pair of NS10 to clear the mids and define the stereo locations. And finally, I have also a nice pair of Quested monitors with a good sub, and good headphones, to adjust the details and balance sub frequencies. this incremental approach is good to focus on the most important things first. Otherwise It is too easy to lose perspective and focus too much on minor details. Plus using the mono speaker most of the time makes me conservative with my work volumes. I can work longer thanks to that.
I'll check in mono to make sure I'm not losing width if the source someone is listening to is a mono source. At work I'll play music on my cell phone...it only has one speaker (I don't wear earbuds) I need to make sure that my mix will translate. Some people like to share earbuds one's got the left the other's got the right to listen to a song. It just comes down to, for me, to translate to different ways people will listen to music.
My understanding of why older engineers got used to mixing in mono is that there was a much higher percentage of mono playback devices. You could come up with a great stereo mix that would take advantage of stereo separation, but when you listened to it on the majority of the devices available at the time such as mono car sound systems, mono radios radios, mono television sets, etc, summing the channels could kill the mix. Close to forty years ago, I heard from an engineer that they used to have basically a mono AM car radio in their studio to see how it sounded in people's cars because that was a significant "channel" through which people would first hear a song. Like it or not, many peoples FIRST exposure to a song was through a mono bandwidth-limited speaker, so you had to make sure it sounded good through that. He told us that he had also done work on mixing music for listening to while you were on hold on the telephone. They had to mix that so that it sounded "good", at least not horrible, through a hand-held telephone! I don't know if this is true, and especially if they still do it, but my understanding is that in the early years of FM and Stereo, some recordings were released in two versions - one sent to AM radio stations which was, of course mono, and limited bandwidth, and another which was sent to FM radio stations which was stereo and with an increased bandwidth. Apparently, even then, because of the technology FM radio doesn't have the stereo separation and bandwidth of vinyl and now digital formats. I can imagine mixes and even remixes specific to the media. And I can imagine a studio with different setups to make sure that the recording sounds best for each particular media. I think modern engineers might not realize how often we still listen to stuff in mono, or at least with such small stereo separation that it might as well be mono.
Great topic........I've never actually tried mixing in mono from the start of a mix session. I've seen the videos that recommend it and I do think it's an interesting way of approaching things. It definitely would assure your phase is on point. However your example of what can happen to a stereo verb collapsed to mono is something I never really paid attention to. I've got the bxMono plug but never use it. Generally I feel pretty confident about things being in phase, though it doesn't mean I nail it every time. I usually rely on checking my phase meter. If everything sounds good in stereo, but the phase meter is hovering in the middle or drifting to the left, I know there's a problem.
I have often heard mixes that are very disappointing in mono. I always work as follows: I place all sound sources in the stereo image and then switch to mono. If the balance in mono is good, the balance in stereo is always good. The opposite is certainly not always the case!
Hi Warren! Thanks for the video! Regarding toms mixed in mono and the kick drum "conflict"... that's one of the reason why a master like Simon Phillips doesn't play at all the kick when he's recording a toms fill. To avoid the effect you explain. Thanks, you rock!
I think that your DAW's pan law should also be taken into account when mixing in mono. In my DAW, Cakewalk by BandLab (CbB), the default is 0dB center with a 3dB boost on the sides. So with this setting all signals hard panned left or right will have a 3dB boost, so when they are switched to mono they are 3 dB down. That is why center panned elements in a stereo mix sound louder than side elements when switched to mono. In CbB there are several options you can select for pan law, one of which is 0dB center where there is no boost to the sides therefore would probably be better for mixing in mono, however you would have to revert back to the original pan law for stereo. Those accustomed to mixing in mono are aware of the pan law and mix with that in mind. I mix in stereo and check in mono. I also regularly swap L and R because one ear does not hear high frequencies as well as the other. Cheers.
@@davidcedric3268 The default pan law is what's generally used universally so if you change the pan law to mix in mono and then leave it there when you switch back to stereo you won't hearing the same pan law everyone else hears when you share your music. Your mix will sound drastically different to the rest of the world. I never change the pan law in 'Preferences', however in the Pro Channel there is a module called 'Panipulator' by Boz Digital Labs, you will only see it if you were a previous owner of Sonar. However if you don't have it you can download it for free from Boz Digital Labs. This is a great plugin where you can check everything that Warren demonstrates and more. You can flip L and R channels, check phase between L an R channels, switch to mono, listen to L or R channels separately, and the great thing is you can change the pan laws as well, all instantly! You have the choice between 0dB, +3dB and +6dB pan laws when mixing in mono. This is a great tool and, if you don't already have it, I would strongly recommend you download it. It is on my master buss for all projects. Cheers.
There can be real beauty in a good mono mix. Looking back, some of the biggest radio hits were recorded in mono,. then later a mono and a stereo mix. Balanced right a good mono mix can sound huge. Plus it more of a challenge getting reverb, EQ, etc right in Mono.
Timely topic! I've been mixing a live concert series this summer. Every Sunday we have a band on stage at our local performing arts center, but with no actual audience....so it's livestreamed to youtube and facebook. At first I was happily mixing away not realizing that my mix was being folded down to mono for the broadcast...(the technicians handling that end of it were using a streaming software called Streamyard, which only supports mono). So the next morning when I watched the concert on youtube I was shocked that not only was it in mono.....but how radically different the mix was in mono. I had quite a lot of stereo room mic (it's a beautiful sounding hall) in the mix that virtually disappeared! Or other mix elements that popped out way too loud! Like the lead vocal....sounded about 3 or 4 db too hot. All very disconcerting yet interesting technically. That said....I just don't like the sound of a mono mix.....so flat and unsatisfying!
I mix in stereo but I will check along the way if I hear any obvious phase issues, and always at the end. Sometimes I will change out a reverb that is causing the issue, sometimes not, sometimes it is a compromise i'm willing to make if it's not too bad. But it is important to make stuff good for mono, i'm just thinking about all the engineers who have to listen to my mixes in mono in a bar or public place! I can't just ignore them, can I? ;-) Oh and hi Glenn!
If you are mixing in mono you should do that on a single speaker... Phantom mono/center will fool you level wise. Try to check your mixes to a single mono speaker (ie switch from stereo listening to a single center speaker when in mono)... Adjust the level on a single speaker in mono, then flip back to a stereo pair, and the level should be much closer/the same... Try it
Hey Warren and crew, great video as usual! I use the Plugin Alliance Metric AB plugin for references and and host of other things it does extremely well. It has a Mono button on it and I find it extremely helpful to switch back and forth between my mix and level matched references in Mono it's very insightful and a great tool. Cheers!
We check in mono all the time. The problem comes in where people listen. Phones, speakers, car stereo or on a small blue tooth device on the kitchen counter while walking around etc.. I check mono on the busses the way it's being done here. And a quick mono check overall. I don't necessarily agree with mixing in mono then adding verbs at the very end if doing the whole mix in mono. If there's a big enough volume jump in the verb or any component, from mono to stereo simply pull it in using your plug of choice. A slight boost to mids and maybe a corresponding cut to the sides? Try getting guitars to stand separate in mono. They'll still sound great when panned. If the levels are off - use a stereo plug and pull them in. Here's another trick. Use a mono verb! Notice that all the talk revolves around a stereo verb. Folks in the 60's didn't have that luxury. I'll follow them with a stero-izer plug of some kind. Enough to maybe add interest and/or width. I find when I do that - there's little change from mono to stereo, (probably because of lack of phase? ), I really don't know. But the stereo component can get lost on busy mixes anyway. Then it's more a fight for levels. Cheers.
Just one more thing (I sound like Colombo) about mixing. It’s not always easy to know when to say “when”. I’ve heard it said of visual art forms as well. How do you know when it’s done? Because as we all know, it’s never really done. (...and the answer: “You’ll know when you’re done because you’ll be out of money”...is cheating...☺️.
I often check the issues you've mentioned in mono. I also set up initial EQ/volume balance of mono sources, then i pan them out and continue mixing this way, ocassionaly checking if the balance in mono is still there (always having the volume drop of stereo sources at the back of my head). Warren, there's something I've noticed in a couple of your videos. When, for example, you're switching between Left only and Right only, instead of saying "now it's left only" and so on, you could just put it as a text on the screen. Also, we can see that you're doing on screen so that isn't really necessary at all. The differences would be more obvious for an unexperienced ear when hearing them back to back without your voice and the ducking compressor "distrupting" the music. Or at least you could make your voice quieter at these moments, with less ducking. Sometimes i feel that you're switching a little too fast when doing comparisons. Anyone else feels that way? As always, thanks for another great informative video!
First time it made sense about using stereo plugins and polarity and how that changes things. So since it's a stereo world I'm going to mix in stereo and just maybe check in mono if I hear a phase issue. Thanks again Warren. You Rock!!!! P.S. MARVELOUS VIDEO. 😁
Such a shame. I have had 2 mixing engineers mix my song and although it sounded nice in their studios , and when it collapsed into mono on my phone it sounded muddy, cheap like some load vocals on top of a karaoke track... not comercial. I listen to "radio played music" on the same phone without problem. I also use a single speaker and pro mixes have proven to be mono compatible to the extend of its possibility.
I really enjoyed singing from Ez Voice because I love singing and it's really working fine and I will continue to be a female singer because I love singing.
My general thoughts on mono compatibility are concise: if someone listens in mono they don't care about the sound. In which case mediocre quality is enough. If they cared/were sensible to it they'd listen on a stereo system. It's not like I'm constantly flipping the phase of one side on a lead vocal or lead synth, because it would disappear, but a little phasiness or blurriness when collapsed to mono is just... fine.
Most people don’t really care/aren’t aware about the obvious benefit of stereo imaging with music. What if your music was being played in a lobby or restaurant on speakers in the ceiling, or what if people are out on the beach listening to music on a Bluetooth speaker. Not everyone is listening to music in a studio. Many consumers listen on mono speakers, many times due to ease of accessibility.
Zach Herman get that, however... Are you listening to all those qualities and details and tom fills and reverbs etc etc etcs when you’re listening to music in the lobby? What I’ve been trying recently, is getting a rough gain stage in mono, and then do my eqing in mono, then switch back out to stereo for the rest of the session. That way, hopefully, everything sounds clear in mono, but is still special when you listen in headphones. When you’re listening over lobby speakers or whatever, you really just need the groove and the melody, which is generally up the middle anyway.
Hoodoo Jones no, but I would rather have a song that sounded energetic, clear, and badass in both mono and stereo, rather than just stereo. If it sounds great in mono, it’s going to sound even better in stereo.
@@ZachIsARuhtard Yeah, I agree with James. Lobby? Restaurant? Beach? That's not listening to music... thats waiting for your room key, shopping and chilling. In those scenarios music is just background noise. As I said, in those cases mediocre is enough.
I like waiting until the very end to hear if I've made any mistakes by playing the completely finished mix on one speaker, fingers crossed. There's nothing better than hearing that it sounds exactly the same on that one speaker. If it doesn't, then you figure out why and fix it. Then try to avoid whatever you did wrong. That way, you won't keep doing it. Next time you play it on one speaker maybe you will have the same experience I feel when I check it for the first time and I feel great when it sounds great, or maybe I hear that it doesn't sound great, but like I said, then you figure out what happened, take really great notes about it, and just stop doing whatever that bad thing is. It seems to me that mixing in mono might help in the short-term, but hurt you long-term, as it can actually stop you from truly understanding why certain things cause issues.
Really nice video again! I wanted to know, "when should we put a track in mono". I guess it's more production tips, if anyway someone can help me taking a better decision with that I'll be really thanksfull.
Great video as always!! I always check my mixes on mono on my cube speaker (Behritone) It´s a bit harder mix a metal guitars wide and powerfull, I dont have the experience to hear a phase problem inmediatly maybe a video with examples on this topic will be great!!! thank you Warren!!! stay safe
When I do a sculpture, I sculpt both sides, @ the same time. Sculpting an entire side(mono) & then attempting to match, always fails. We See & Hear, in Stereo.... Stay Marvelous!!!
A couple years ago, the hearing in my left ear mysteriously disappeared, so I've had no choice but to mix in mono. But I always check the left and right channels individually, mostly because of the diminished reverb effect with playback set in mono. Oddly enough, I've had more compliments on my mixes than ever before since I lost that ear, so maybe there's something to the idea of mono mixing. 🙂
Yeah, very interesting. So reverb is basically a stereo effect even if it is mono. Just works better with two channels. The thing is that most 'stereo' is not really stereo but some kind of synthetic approximation (I mean compared with recording an orchestra with one stereo pair for example, or birdsong recordings which are still the gold standard) but the digital reverbs used today are mostly stereo images so the reverb is a 'true' stereo image even when the input isn't. So stereo reverb creates a realistic 3-D space regardless of how unlike real stereo the supposedly stereo mix created on the console might be.
Well I didn’t see the question at first but to answer this is so interesting because when my electric piano is in Midi mode it sounds like it’s in mono well I know it’s in mono because of the chord attachment and outlet on it but when I play it back using Logic Pro it plays in stereo. Or at least it differs. I know I can change that but when I record it sounds a little weird in that it doesn’t sound as nice as it does when the piano isn’t in a Midi mode so I’m guessing this is why. Anyway this helped me understand what may be happening. 😳🤓😊
but the reason to check in mono is to achieve mono compatibility - eq wise. most pa systems in clubs and bars are in mono, the boom blaster boxes young folkes carry around nowadays are in mono, radio is in mono. so to have an adequat representation of your mix on these systems you gotta have a few tricks in your jacket. like l/r different eq, one side dry, other side wet, m/s stuff and whatnot. i haven't found a video online that covers this properly. maybe you want to give it a try?
I'll often check in mono when I have disparate elements assigned left and right; for example, if I have an acoustic guitar on the right playing against an electric on the left (rather than one element double tracked and split), I'll always check that balance in mono to see that both parts seem at the right level against each other. But I'll say one more thing: and that's that really checking in mono should mean on ONE speaker so as not to be fooling yourself with the inevitable tonal variations between the two monitors.
@@mekullag you don't need to "recognize the differences"... the point is that the variation between the two speakers in your room creates a kind of subtle 'pseudo stereo'. That can give you some apparent clarity that isn't really there. Mono means one speaker.
I tried mixing in mono once. I hated it and my mix sounded like crap, so I haven't ever gone back. God gave me two ears, I'm gonna use all both of them. I do use mono for checking stuff, but that's it.
I like to check in mono when I'm applying weird stereo effects, just to see if they go totally phase-bonkers. My version of the channel-swap is to swivel around on my chair. :-D
The monitor jack on my interface was dying and the left side would cut out once in a while and I would have to wiggle the volume knob around to get it back. It was driving me crazy because it would sound like the left side was louder than the right when it came back. That plugin would've been amazing to have.
People don't understand the concept of mixing in mono I think that's the problem. I am going to make a video so people understand. Mixing in mono isn't how you check your mix and hear through your monitors. It's how you actually balance the most important elements in your mix. Once you understand how it works you will be able to pump a mix out in minutes rather than hours with barely using a plugin.
Hi warren, really enjoy watching, thanks for sharing your knowledge. Several years ago I worked for Raindirk audio, building the symphony console range.. Wondered if you have ever used one? If so,what was your opinion. Thanks again TIm.
Going back to what you said about time shifting the duplicated guitar. Lets say I have a song to mix that has only one guitar and there's a part in the chorus that would sound brilliant with two guitars. How do I double this guitar so it makes sense and doesn't sound messy? Timeshifting and EQ-ing it a bit different usually does the trick but like you said, it sound messy in mono. Any other tricks that would make it sound good?
I'd like to know as well. I am mixing for a band that has one guitar player. Amp recorded using 2 mics so I have 2 sources but obviously I can't just pan L & R, so I put the Time Adjuster delay on one, and check the phase in mono. Not sure if that's the way to do it or if there are more/better options. 2 different mics as well on the one guitar cab.
Whats the point of the Haas-Effect then ?? Exactly like you said, so many people are teaching this as a "trick" but it always sounds like rubbish when switched to mono? Also a tutorial on how to fix phase issues would be nice! Its a topic i cant really get my head around yet and especially on Synths with slightly detuned oscillators and all sorts of stereo widening going on (I produce techno btw) I wonder how to fix those phase issues but keeping a fat and wide Sound.
Do you ever mix in mono? Why or why not?
i don't, cuz i don't understand why i should (haven't seen the video yet). i definitely check in mono. i can't hear phase yet but still a good practice. also gives an idea about how it'll sound on mono devices.
Not nearly as often as I should. I do check, though.Mono is great. I can't remember exactly where it was but yesterday or a couple of days ago during an interview someone said he was mixing listening from his phone. In fact, the mix apparently sounded great.
Yes, I feel it really helps with creating true clarity without tricking your ears with stereo separation.
Frozn Colors
When you watch the video, Warren shows you multiple examples. Lots of music is listened to on mono speakers (think restaurant ceiling speakers, little Bluetooth speakers, etc.). You can lose a lot of energy and ambience with certain moves, and you can also actually lose entire chunks of audio due to phase issues.
Not for long periods, but I check my mix in mono periodically. It helps with arrangement of the parts as well as ensuring that your mix works well everywhere.
L/R swap is especially important when you mix on headphones, because each ear hears things slightly different and there's no crossfeed in this case.
Absolutely! Agreed 100%!!
you forgot that purple haze is played backwards by a fake band in this video
There's a few misconceptions in comments:
1) "Setting balances in mono will result in better stereo balances."
No. You cannot fly blind by setting levels in mono and assuming that everything will be dandy when you switch back to stereo (unless you learn how mono sounds). You will almost certainly end up with low levels on the mid channel compared to the sides if you don't know what you're aiming (listening) for.
2) "Mixing in mono is about mono compatibility."
Not exclusively. Most of the value comes from setting balances (when you know what to aim for) and *drum roll* using eq. Mono helps you make informed eq decisions, because it places all of the tracks on top of one another thereby forcing you to create separation (get your way out of all that masking) without resorting to only panning.
A big takeaway should be that your stereo mixes can benefit from mixing in mono even if you don't care about mono compatibility. If you care about stereo then you should care about mono...learn mono. In addition to Warren's excellent video, check out Dan Worrall's "How to mix in stereo.." and Gregory Scott's "Hit that mono button..." video. Cheers.
Agree. Just this week I learned my lesson on this, mixing a live performance of a vocal duo with one playing acoustic guitar. The stereo mix came alive after EQ'ing the tracks until they separated in mono. I must add here: each of the three mics bled into the other two and, per Warren's advice, I bought and applied the Sound Radix "Auto-Align" phase alignment plugin. I went in circles for days until applying Auto-Align (step 1).
Todd Beal true, trying to listen in mono with headphones in particular is very misleading.
@@ProDoucher that's because there is no true mono when you're equipped with headphones, or dual monitors. lol. duh..........
meh, after a while of mixing in TRUE MONO (ONE MONITOR) you can train your ears in new ways. I pan channels, even adding panning automation IN MONO, because I can hear what it's doing regardless if it's in mono. i know what it's doing. and then I can quickly A/B in stereo with headphones.
here's my manifesto - music production is completely subjective, and there are no rules.
except that you should never squash your entire mix with a limiter that has the threshold pulled all the way back lol
@@ProDoucher it should go without saying that if you have audio coming from multiple sources, it's not mono.
the definition of mono is ONE, SINGLE, LONE.....
this means that if you want to truly hear your mix in mono, you must not use headphones, you must not use A PAIR of studio monitors.
you must use ONE studio monitor.
that is the only possible way to hear your mix in true mono, otherwise you are getting what I call fugazi mono
As a newbie to mixing, the best thing I learnt from this video, that I never thought about, was the relationship between the toms & snare with Toms panning away from snares @12.32
When i hear the quality of your mix , i said in my head " is not possible fabrice all your mix is in mono " thank you for this great vidéo
I work in Mono: 1) Starting with Faders down, adjust volume levels; 2) I use LCR/Left-Center-Right panning to get my stereo image. I aim for balance in 3 dimensions with Width (pan), Height/amplitude &. frequency, and Depth. My goal is to achieve Clarity, Separation, Balance and Space by treating the mixer like an instrument. Remember that you lose -3db with extreme LCR panning. I use delays to create movement and depth. Then maybe EQ a little. I look for/identify Phase issues. In Logic I do this by using the Correlation Meter plugin. I then fix any Phase issues using the Gain (inversion function) or Sample Delay plugins (delay one channel slightly) ; 3) Switch back to mono and fine-tune any remaining issues by adjusting faders. Done.
Your mixes are always so wonderfully clean and dynamic. Thank you for sharing!
_"When something has phase / polarity issues, it's a little dizzying"_
Same for me, it wasn't always that way, but now when I hear something out of phase (it has to be quite out of phase, not something subtle) it actually makes me feel mildly nauseous, this is even more the case when listening on headphones.
You and only you can explain such extreme minor details in a mix while others are teaching us to pan things with our eyes............ You are ' mostest Awesomest'......❤️❤️❤️
Another good free plugin for checking this stuff is Panipulator by Boz. Not only does it let you switch between mono and stereo, as well as flip L&R, but it also lets you flip the phase for each channel.
Absolute Gold. I love your anecdotes and experience stories too Warren.
So happy for these short videos on various topics AND this comes right o time for me doing my first mix this week! Woo hoo!
Love that channel swap tool even if it becomes trippy at first, once you've got used to it being the other way around. Also, nice to see good old Glenn pop his head in the video.
Great video as always, Warren !
Just to react to something you said: in the live world, lots of desks have separate stereo and mono, for a bunch of different reasons.
In theater, you often use mono for your center point, and route all spoken voices to it. The main reason being, it allows you to achieve separation between voices (ie the text itself) and whatever's happening around it (SFX, music). Plus that way, you make sure voices can be heard equally from every seat in the venue. So you pretty much have a "center" fader that allows you to bring voices up and down as needed. Which is pretty useful, especially these days where theater's using lots of live music, a variety of pre-programmed sounds, video, etc.
For concert/live music, we often drive the subs in mono, so as to make them more efficient. Low frequencies being pretty much omnidirectional by nature, stereo perception of them is skewed, and I feel using mono for lows "anchors" them better, especially for large venues where you can't get a row of subs at the front (because there's seats there) and they are sometimes 20 meters apart.
As you typically get some low-end in the hanging arrays (on the system I often mix on, the 15s are set to go down to 80Hz or so, with the 18s on the floor delivering the 25-ish to 80 range) it allows to only route things such as kick drum and bass guitar (or some keyboards) to the subs, hence achieving more separation and clarity.
Also, regarding the mono/stereo thing: mixing sections in mono and suddenly going super wide is a cool way to achieve movement in the mix, and give the illusion that things are bigger and louder. I recently realized this was one of the tricks used in Metallica's Welcome Home (Sanatarium), where the first few iterations of the first guitar arpeggios are mixed in mono, then suddenly everything goes super wide and stereo when drums come in. Sounds brilliant, and kinda gives the feeling you're sucked into the music.
Also, in this day and age where lots of people are listening to music on a phone, which basically has mono speakers, or on lots of bluetooth speakers where the drivers are so close to each other that they're pretty much mono, checking for mono compatibility never hurts.
Thanks Warren. I was having a lot of confusion on this topic.
I actually never knew the difference between mono and stereo all that much. Really cool to learn something so adequately here! Cheers!
I'm so glad to be able to help! Have a marvellous time recording, many thanks Warren
@@Producelikeapro Thank you so much man! My pleasure!
Thanks for another great video! Very informative and helpful as usual. I have something to add to the discussion. Another issue to consider (in addition to phase cancellations) is masking. An element in a mix can stand out more in a mix if panned to a different location in the stereo field relative to other elements. Mono effectively puts everything in the same spot so there's much more masking going on. It's not always phase cancellations causing things to seem lower in the mix while in mono. That's why panning is a tool I like to use when mixing to help certain elements be heard more clearly without having to make them any louder. It's Masking.
hi Warren! really nice video, I always learn something with your material. I think that, the fact of "loosing" some extra sounds while listening in mono is what makes stereo more interesting. What I mean is, for example, that tom you say that gets lost with the kick, in stereo will feel much better, adding something to the stereo mix.
PS: I hope you can understand what I tried to comment, English is not my main language. Thank you for sharing all your knowledge!!!
Thanx..... i work on reaper and i will occasionally tick the mono button on the master buss.....but less and less often....I am 61 years old and ypu have taught me so much...thank you for this channel and community
I check my mixes in mono, but do not mix in mono. I also check my mixes on a boombox and in the car. Thank you Warren. .. great detailed information.
This is interesting how you have to turn up reverb louder when mixing in mono then when you switch back - it's too much. Like you said Warren these are stereo effects and if you choose to mix in Mono, better not put on much reverb early on. That would never work for me because I throw on reverb and ambiance right away and use it on almost everything. The ambiance I use is a major factor that decides a lot of decisions for me that happen after I set it up, and not the other way around. Switching back and forth would totally throw off my mix. In fact reverb is technically different from ambiance and may be even more present than reverb, so there's a lot of ambiance and reverb going on in most mixes on low levels that I'll bet most are unaware of.
My final mono check is listening from a distance to a smartphone speaker but gotta do most of the mix in stereo. I hope this is Glenn Fricker approved! Cheers Warren!!
As a total beginner, I found this very insightful. Eventhough I did not understand most of it, it did reassure me om certain things. I think I'm blessed only having to work on one vocal stereotrack. :-)
Ever since I started mixing in mono I started to make better EQ decisions to make everything sit a bit better. It's really helpful for me.
I usually pan and set levels in stereo and then do all my mixing in mono. At the end I switch between stereo and mono (and between different speakers).
Reverb is inherently a spacial quality, and while it's additive effects can be discerned in mono, it's perceived effect can only be experienced in stereo and therefore really has little utility being used in a mono mix. Love this channel. Warren Huart is the real deal.
Wow! Thanks ever so much! That really means a lot my friend!
use the Ozone imager ..and collapse the stereo to a mono line on the graph ...then position the centre away from all the other track pan centres ..then flip it back to stereo ..making sure each centre has its own space ..its easier to check with a line than a jelly fish.
Big love to the academy and the show ...YOU ROCK!
I use 3 sets of speakers. One crap pair for a reality check, a mono speaker for checking spacial relativity and distance, and a pair of Adam Audio for pin pointing inaccuracies and getting a fuller impression of a wider frequency band. Works well enough. I like having these different options. I'm on Cubase, and have my Control Room set to specific key commands, meaning I can simply switch between the three sets of speakers by simply pressing one key on my computer keyboard for super fast comparison. I also have a key command for my reference track, which isn't routed through the stereo mix, rather it's a Cue Send, directly to the speakers. Job done. Mostly.
I often use the “Monomaker” control on the Brainworx Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor. I can make everything mono up to a certain frequency I choose. Very effective on the low end. This was a fascinating video topic! Thanks!
🔊🤠👍
STIRK STIRKLAND yes I love this
When you revert the polarity of guitar on 15-14 the sound dissapeared in mono, but on my speakers I felt like you placed the guitar inside of my head, that's insane!
The benefit I see from mono, other than checking for phase, is being able to hear how things stack on top of each other eq-wise. I like to eq things in mono, but I agree that everything else should probably be done in stereo. The other thing I like to do while mixing in mono is only have one speaker on. I feel like this helps take room issues out. There’s no phantom image with only one speaker. I do not spend the majority of my time like this though. It’s more of a checking thing. When I eq I go back and forth. I’m nobody special, though, so these are just my opinions. Cheers!
Yes of course always check on one speaker. I agree with that. I check on a cheap $30 Bluetooth speaker. If it sounds good on that - good job!
John Merrifield, I cant remember who (CLA I believe), but I was watching a video a few years back and he said that when he checks in mono he checks on one speaker. I don’t think he said why, but it just made sense to me. The left and right side of most rooms are different, so your phantom image could be slightly off and telling you something incorrect.
@@cbrooks0905 I think a trick he does is uses smaller amps for recordings. I'll bet this gives him less issues because it means less mic placements. Think about it - which will have more problems and phasing issues(?): - 2 mics on a big cab or one mic on one small cab? In theory neither should, but in real life the more mics you use during a recording at once the more issues will happen. Then again, Soundgarden Superunknown was recorded with 2 mics placed on either side of big Marshall cabs. In many says I like that album better than anything CLA has ever done. I can get close to the CLA sound but can't touch that with a ten foot pole no matter what I try. Playing with thicker strings will usually give you better tone but also make it harder to play and nail a recording fast. It's all a matter of trade-offs. The biggest thing I do to avoid any phasing is I eliminate the room. I do it all in the box, i.e. no acoustic instruments. Then again I'm confused by how CLA works because I believe his role is limited to mixing, so he doesn't record any of the stuff he gets to work with, but does he have some control over how it's recorded? How it's recorded is a huge factor to consider when mixing. I would think with his clout he probably does have some say over it but I wouldn't know. I do know Soundgarden Superunknown was recorded by the same guys who mixed it.
In 2010 I made an EP of early-sounding synth pop, analog monophonic pre-MIDI synths, drum machine and vocals. All tracks were of course in mono. I tried lots of stereo delays and reverbs, but ended up using effects in mono too because the mixing was simply better sounding in mono.
👍🏼😃 good Job Warren!!!
I love how the iD44 has the sum and difference buttons for checking thins fast,
Yes! Amazing!! Thanks for sharing!
I always always always check in mono a few times. Have been ever since I heard of the single Auratone. The first time I did it it was amazing how you could just place things so nicely and then to pop it back into stereo it blew my mind it was like the best mix I ever had.
I find mono is good for making sure the bass and guitars aren't drowning each other but I wouldn't ever want to start messing with effects in it! It makes more sense to me to mix for stereo in stereo using mono as a monitoring tool! The Abbey Road mastering plugin has the same isolative functions as that Brainworks one and it makes life SO much easier!
The first Doctor Feelgood album was recorded in mono when albums had moved over to being stereo to make it more like their 40's/50's influences!
My conclusion is that mono can inform on phase and some EQ issues....masking etc....but beyond that stereo levels and effects are best done in stereo. The reverse appears to be true also....many of the great Beatle mixes were not intended for stereo....Geoff Emerick did not care for the stereo versions of their mono mixes much. It was not the sound they intended. (Although all Beatle mixes sound nearly perfect to me...ha.) Great tips, thanks Warren.
Finally !!! I was waiting for this...
ALMOST ALWAYS MIX in mono. This does help a great deal for finding what is getting buried, finding redundancies, these kinds of things. BUT
I love using Boz Digital Labs Low CPU free plugin Panipulator.
It doesn't do mid-side, but what's really cool is that you can also individually check L polarity or Right polarity, especially in mono mode which is great for checking phase issues. Plus it has mono summing to adjust volume discrepancies...
I use both. I start my mix - before processing - in mono just to get an initial balance. I can activate it easily through my audio interface. Once I’m satisfied I move in to doing the rest of the mix in stereo. This is when I will apply the majority of my processing. When I start my mix in mono it is only to get some of my fundamental eq moves done. I finish the entire process in stereo and make sure that there is at least 12 db of headroom so the mastering engineer has room to work. I don’t think it’s wise to do a bunch of processing when in mono. I’m also not a big fan of a large amount of processing on my tracks to begin with. I shoot for the best possible take. Which makes my initial diecision making when mixing in mono much easier. But I am also doing this with context. Knowing that I’m going to be moving on to doing the rest of my mix and processing in stereo. But the initial mono mixing really helps when initially seeing what I’m working with in a song.
Never done it, not even to check. Flipped it on once, and it just runied a good mix (well, I thought so at the time). Never darkened it's doorstep again
I don't really mix in mono, but I do set my basic levels with the pan centered. It helps figure out where everything sits in the spectrum and masking. Once I have levels set I move on to stereo and only check mono quickly as I build the mix. When I'm done, I check the mix in mono, stereo and also how it sounds through a 5.1 decoder/Home Theater. But, that's just me.
I have a big studio setup and I do almost everything with a mono speaker. It gives me a good perception of the general balance of things. Then I have a pair of NS10 to clear the mids and define the stereo locations. And finally, I have also a nice pair of Quested monitors with a good sub, and good headphones, to adjust the details and balance sub frequencies.
this incremental approach is good to focus on the most important things first.
Otherwise It is too easy to lose perspective and focus too much on minor details.
Plus using the mono speaker most of the time makes me conservative with my work volumes. I can work longer thanks to that.
I'll check in mono to make sure I'm not losing width if the source someone is listening to is a mono source. At work I'll play music on my cell phone...it only has one speaker (I don't wear earbuds) I need to make sure that my mix will translate. Some people like to share earbuds one's got the left the other's got the right to listen to a song. It just comes down to, for me, to translate to different ways people will listen to music.
The Dangerous D-Box features a "Mono" button that makes it easy to mix in mono. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Another great video, Warren. Greetings from Newcastle UK.
Toon!
My understanding of why older engineers got used to mixing in mono is that there was a much higher percentage of mono playback devices. You could come up with a great stereo mix that would take advantage of stereo separation, but when you listened to it on the majority of the devices available at the time such as mono car sound systems, mono radios radios, mono television sets, etc, summing the channels could kill the mix. Close to forty years ago, I heard from an engineer that they used to have basically a mono AM car radio in their studio to see how it sounded in people's cars because that was a significant "channel" through which people would first hear a song. Like it or not, many peoples FIRST exposure to a song was through a mono bandwidth-limited speaker, so you had to make sure it sounded good through that. He told us that he had also done work on mixing music for listening to while you were on hold on the telephone. They had to mix that so that it sounded "good", at least not horrible, through a hand-held telephone! I don't know if this is true, and especially if they still do it, but my understanding is that in the early years of FM and Stereo, some recordings were released in two versions - one sent to AM radio stations which was, of course mono, and limited bandwidth, and another which was sent to FM radio stations which was stereo and with an increased bandwidth. Apparently, even then, because of the technology FM radio doesn't have the stereo separation and bandwidth of vinyl and now digital formats. I can imagine mixes and even remixes specific to the media. And I can imagine a studio with different setups to make sure that the recording sounds best for each particular media. I think modern engineers might not realize how often we still listen to stuff in mono, or at least with such small stereo separation that it might as well be mono.
Great topic........I've never actually tried mixing in mono from the start of a mix session. I've seen the videos that recommend it and I do think it's an interesting way of approaching things. It definitely would assure your phase is on point. However your example of what can happen to a stereo verb collapsed to mono is something I never really paid attention to. I've got the bxMono plug but never use it. Generally I feel pretty confident about things being in phase, though it doesn't mean I nail it every time. I usually rely on checking my phase meter. If everything sounds good in stereo, but the phase meter is hovering in the middle or drifting to the left, I know there's a problem.
I have often heard mixes that are very disappointing in mono.
I always work as follows: I place all sound sources in the stereo image and then switch to mono.
If the balance in mono is good, the balance in stereo is always good.
The opposite is certainly not always the case!
Hi Warren! Thanks for the video! Regarding toms mixed in mono and the kick drum "conflict"... that's one of the reason why a master like Simon Phillips doesn't play at all the kick when he's recording a toms fill. To avoid the effect you explain. Thanks, you rock!
I think that your DAW's pan law should also be taken into account when mixing in mono. In my DAW, Cakewalk by BandLab (CbB), the default is 0dB center with a 3dB boost on the sides. So with this setting all signals hard panned left or right will have a 3dB boost, so when they are switched to mono they are 3 dB down. That is why center panned elements in a stereo mix sound louder than side elements when switched to mono. In CbB there are several options you can select for pan law, one of which is 0dB center where there is no boost to the sides therefore would probably be better for mixing in mono, however you would have to revert back to the original pan law for stereo. Those accustomed to mixing in mono are aware of the pan law and mix with that in mind. I mix in stereo and check in mono. I also regularly swap L and R because one ear does not hear high frequencies as well as the other. Cheers.
I use cakewalk, so thank you very much for that tip. I'm starting mixing a song today. Why do I need to set the pan law back in stereo then? Thank you
@@davidcedric3268 The default pan law is what's generally used universally so if you change the pan law to mix in mono and then leave it there when you switch back to stereo you won't hearing the same pan law everyone else hears when you share your music. Your mix will sound drastically different to the rest of the world. I never change the pan law in 'Preferences', however in the Pro Channel there is a module called 'Panipulator' by Boz Digital Labs, you will only see it if you were a previous owner of Sonar. However if you don't have it you can download it for free from Boz Digital Labs. This is a great plugin where you can check everything that Warren demonstrates and more. You can flip L and R channels, check phase between L an R channels, switch to mono, listen to L or R channels separately, and the great thing is you can change the pan laws as well, all instantly! You have the choice between 0dB, +3dB and +6dB pan laws when mixing in mono. This is a great tool and, if you don't already have it, I would strongly recommend you download it. It is on my master buss for all projects. Cheers.
There can be real beauty in a good mono mix. Looking back, some of the biggest radio hits were recorded in mono,. then later a mono and a stereo mix. Balanced right a good mono mix can sound huge. Plus it more of a challenge getting reverb, EQ, etc right in Mono.
Timely topic! I've been mixing a live concert series this summer. Every Sunday we have a band on stage at our local performing arts center, but with no actual audience....so it's livestreamed to youtube and facebook. At first I was happily mixing away not realizing that my mix was being folded down to mono for the broadcast...(the technicians handling that end of it were using a streaming software called Streamyard, which only supports mono). So the next morning when I watched the concert on youtube I was shocked that not only was it in mono.....but how radically different the mix was in mono. I had quite a lot of stereo room mic (it's a beautiful sounding hall) in the mix that virtually disappeared! Or other mix elements that popped out way too loud! Like the lead vocal....sounded about 3 or 4 db too hot. All very disconcerting yet interesting technically. That said....I just don't like the sound of a mono mix.....so flat and unsatisfying!
I mix in stereo but I will check along the way if I hear any obvious phase issues, and always at the end. Sometimes I will change out a reverb that is causing the issue, sometimes not, sometimes it is a compromise i'm willing to make if it's not too bad. But it is important to make stuff good for mono, i'm just thinking about all the engineers who have to listen to my mixes in mono in a bar or public place! I can't just ignore them, can I? ;-) Oh and hi Glenn!
Checking the mix in mono is a great trick !
Thank you warren really appreciate you... this vid was taken down and is one of the most informative
If you are mixing in mono you should do that on a single speaker... Phantom mono/center will fool you level wise.
Try to check your mixes to a single mono speaker (ie switch from stereo listening to a single center speaker when in mono)... Adjust the level on a single speaker in mono, then flip back to a stereo pair, and the level should be much closer/the same... Try it
dr.dre techniques
Hey Warren and crew, great video as usual! I use the Plugin Alliance Metric AB plugin for references and and host of other things it does extremely well. It has a Mono button on it and I find it extremely helpful to switch back and forth between my mix and level matched references in Mono it's very insightful and a great tool. Cheers!
Thanks Warren really great discussion.
We check in mono all the time. The problem comes in where people listen. Phones, speakers, car stereo or on a small blue tooth device on the kitchen counter while walking around etc.. I check mono on the busses the way it's being done here. And a quick mono check overall. I don't necessarily agree with mixing in mono then adding verbs at the very end if doing the whole mix in mono. If there's a big enough volume jump in the verb or any component, from mono to stereo simply pull it in using your plug of choice. A slight boost to mids and maybe a corresponding cut to the sides? Try getting guitars to stand separate in mono. They'll still sound great when panned. If the levels are off - use a stereo plug and pull them in.
Here's another trick. Use a mono verb! Notice that all the talk revolves around a stereo verb. Folks in the 60's didn't have that luxury. I'll follow them with a stero-izer plug of some kind. Enough to maybe add interest and/or width. I find when I do that - there's little change from mono to stereo, (probably because of lack of phase? ), I really don't know. But the stereo component can get lost on busy mixes anyway. Then it's more a fight for levels. Cheers.
Just one more thing (I sound like Colombo) about mixing. It’s not always easy to know when to say “when”. I’ve heard it said of visual art forms as well. How do you know when it’s done? Because as we all know, it’s never really done. (...and the answer: “You’ll know when you’re done because you’ll be out of money”...is cheating...☺️.
I often check the issues you've mentioned in mono. I also set up initial EQ/volume balance of mono sources, then i pan them out and continue mixing this way, ocassionaly checking if the balance in mono is still there (always having the volume drop of stereo sources at the back of my head).
Warren, there's something I've noticed in a couple of your videos.
When, for example, you're switching between Left only and Right only, instead of saying "now it's left only" and so on, you could just put it as a text on the screen. Also, we can see that you're doing on screen so that isn't really necessary at all. The differences would be more obvious for an unexperienced ear when hearing them back to back without your voice and the ducking compressor "distrupting" the music. Or at least you could make your voice quieter at these moments, with less ducking. Sometimes i feel that you're switching a little too fast when doing comparisons. Anyone else feels that way?
As always, thanks for another great informative video!
First time it made sense about using stereo plugins and polarity and how that changes things. So since it's a stereo world I'm going to mix in stereo and just maybe check in mono if I hear a phase issue. Thanks again Warren. You Rock!!!! P.S. MARVELOUS VIDEO. 😁
Such a shame. I have had 2 mixing engineers mix my song and although it sounded nice in their studios , and when it collapsed into mono on my phone it sounded muddy, cheap like some load vocals on top of a karaoke track... not comercial. I listen to "radio played music" on the same phone without problem. I also use a single speaker and pro mixes have proven to be mono compatible to the extend of its possibility.
I really enjoyed singing from Ez Voice because I love singing and it's really working fine and I will continue to be a female singer because I love singing.
I learned so much today. Thank you!
If I paid for a concert I want to hear the whole band and the whole stage of the music. PERIOD!!
What's your point?
@@DaveyMulholland mixing in mono helps you hear everything
Gonna listen this in mono, cause other bud's soft piece got missing, hope it translates through.. quite marvellously well aswell, thank you!
I’m gonna need to watch this again
Warren Huart : No samples for the drums .It is all live drums ! This is Glenn Fricker approved .
Glenn Fricker : It's about freakin' time !!!
Me : XD
Haha yes, indeed Jean-François!
Dan Worrall have a 3 part video dedicated to this topic. Very interesting to watch
Sounding so good ....
My general thoughts on mono compatibility are concise: if someone listens in mono they don't care about the sound. In which case mediocre quality is enough. If they cared/were sensible to it they'd listen on a stereo system.
It's not like I'm constantly flipping the phase of one side on a lead vocal or lead synth, because it would disappear, but a little phasiness or blurriness when collapsed to mono is just... fine.
Lololol that’s amazing
Most people don’t really care/aren’t aware about the obvious benefit of stereo imaging with music. What if your music was being played in a lobby or restaurant on speakers in the ceiling, or what if people are out on the beach listening to music on a Bluetooth speaker.
Not everyone is listening to music in a studio. Many consumers listen on mono speakers, many times due to ease of accessibility.
Zach Herman get that, however... Are you listening to all those qualities and details and tom fills and reverbs etc etc etcs when you’re listening to music in the lobby?
What I’ve been trying recently, is getting a rough gain stage in mono, and then do my eqing in mono, then switch back out to stereo for the rest of the session. That way, hopefully, everything sounds clear in mono, but is still special when you listen in headphones.
When you’re listening over lobby speakers or whatever, you really just need the groove and the melody, which is generally up the middle anyway.
Hoodoo Jones no, but I would rather have a song that sounded energetic, clear, and badass in both mono and stereo, rather than just stereo. If it sounds great in mono, it’s going to sound even better in stereo.
@@ZachIsARuhtard Yeah, I agree with James. Lobby? Restaurant? Beach? That's not listening to music... thats waiting for your room key, shopping and chilling. In those scenarios music is just background noise. As I said, in those cases mediocre is enough.
Your videos are fantastic. Subscribed.
Thanks ever so much Tristan
I love bx plugins, but for this purpose I use Boz Panipulator, which is also free. A few simple switches to get most of the checks you want to do.
I like waiting until the very end to hear if I've made any mistakes by playing the completely finished mix on one speaker, fingers crossed. There's nothing better than hearing that it sounds exactly the same on that one speaker. If it doesn't, then you figure out why and fix it. Then try to avoid whatever you did wrong. That way, you won't keep doing it. Next time you play it on one speaker maybe you will have the same experience I feel when I check it for the first time and I feel great when it sounds great, or maybe I hear that it doesn't sound great, but like I said, then you figure out what happened, take really great notes about it, and just stop doing whatever that bad thing is. It seems to me that mixing in mono might help in the short-term, but hurt you long-term, as it can actually stop you from truly understanding why certain things cause issues.
Really nice video again!
I wanted to know, "when should we put a track in mono". I guess it's more production tips, if anyway someone can help me taking a better decision with that I'll be really thanksfull.
Great video as always!! I always check my mixes on mono on my cube speaker (Behritone) It´s a bit harder mix a metal guitars wide and powerfull, I dont have the experience to hear a phase problem inmediatly maybe a video with examples on this topic will be great!!! thank you Warren!!! stay safe
First 👍 about to do a mix down for a video tonight I'll try some of these tips on that thanks
Great video! I agree with you!
Thanks ever so much!
When I do a sculpture, I sculpt both sides, @ the same time. Sculpting an entire side(mono) & then attempting to match, always fails. We See & Hear, in Stereo.... Stay Marvelous!!!
A couple years ago, the hearing in my left ear mysteriously disappeared, so I've had no choice but to mix in mono. But I always check the left and right channels individually, mostly because of the diminished reverb effect with playback set in mono. Oddly enough, I've had more compliments on my mixes than ever before since I lost that ear, so maybe there's something to the idea of mono mixing. 🙂
Thanks for a great video!
Thanks ever so much
2:38 LOL Thanks for making me laugh Warren!
I really like the tune that you're working on- reminds me of Grateful When You're Dead, by Kula Shaker.
Yeah, very interesting. So reverb is basically a stereo effect even if it is mono. Just works better with two channels. The thing is that most 'stereo' is not really stereo but some kind of synthetic approximation (I mean compared with recording an orchestra with one stereo pair for example, or birdsong recordings which are still the gold standard) but the digital reverbs used today are mostly stereo images so the reverb is a 'true' stereo image even when the input isn't. So stereo reverb creates a realistic 3-D space regardless of how unlike real stereo the supposedly stereo mix created on the console might be.
Well I didn’t see the question at first but to answer this is so interesting because when my electric piano is in Midi mode it sounds like it’s in mono well I know it’s in mono because of the chord attachment and outlet on it but when I play it back using Logic Pro it plays in stereo. Or at least it differs. I know I can change that but when I record it sounds a little weird in that it doesn’t sound as nice as it does when the piano isn’t in a Midi mode so I’m guessing this is why. Anyway this helped me understand what may be happening. 😳🤓😊
but the reason to check in mono is to achieve mono compatibility - eq wise. most pa systems in clubs and bars are in mono, the boom blaster boxes young folkes carry around nowadays are in mono, radio is in mono. so to have an adequat representation of your mix on these systems you gotta have a few tricks in your jacket. like l/r different eq, one side dry, other side wet, m/s stuff and whatnot. i haven't found a video online that covers this properly. maybe you want to give it a try?
I'll often check in mono when I have disparate elements assigned left and right; for example, if I have an acoustic guitar on the right playing against an electric on the left (rather than one element double tracked and split), I'll always check that balance in mono to see that both parts seem at the right level against each other. But I'll say one more thing: and that's that really checking in mono should mean on ONE speaker so as not to be fooling yourself with the inevitable tonal variations between the two monitors.
weedywet dude, the day I can recognize the tonal differences between two monitors of the same build I don‘t think I‘ll ever need another mixing tip
@@mekullag you don't need to "recognize the differences"... the point is that the variation between the two speakers in your room creates a kind of subtle 'pseudo stereo'. That can give you some apparent clarity that isn't really there. Mono means one speaker.
I tried mixing in mono once. I hated it and my mix sounded like crap, so I haven't ever gone back. God gave me two ears, I'm gonna use all both of them. I do use mono for checking stuff, but that's it.
I like to check in mono when I'm applying weird stereo effects, just to see if they go totally phase-bonkers. My version of the channel-swap is to swivel around on my chair. :-D
From what I learnt, please correct me if I’m wrong. Is that if your balance listened well in MONO, it’ll sounds beautifully in Stereo.
The monitor jack on my interface was dying and the left side would cut out once in a while and I would have to wiggle the volume knob around to get it back. It was driving me crazy because it would sound like the left side was louder than the right when it came back. That plugin would've been amazing to have.
It would be incredible if it had Portuguese subtitles ! Obrigado ! And think about the possibility ! ✌👍
WOW Thanks Warren I learned some time ago that I can`t ear the Highend as well from my left so the L&R switch of the free plugins is gonna be usefull
FINALLY.
People don't understand the concept of mixing in mono I think that's the problem. I am going to make a video so people understand. Mixing in mono isn't how you check your mix and hear through your monitors. It's how you actually balance the most important elements in your mix. Once you understand how it works you will be able to pump a mix out in minutes rather than hours with barely using a plugin.
Hi warren, really enjoy watching, thanks for sharing your knowledge. Several years ago I worked for Raindirk audio, building the symphony console range.. Wondered if you have ever used one? If so,what was your opinion. Thanks again TIm.
Going back to what you said about time shifting the duplicated guitar.
Lets say I have a song to mix that has only one guitar and there's a part in the chorus that would sound brilliant with two guitars. How do I double this guitar so it makes sense and doesn't sound messy?
Timeshifting and EQ-ing it a bit different usually does the trick but like you said, it sound messy in mono.
Any other tricks that would make it sound good?
I'd like to know as well.
I am mixing for a band that has one guitar player. Amp recorded using 2 mics so I have 2 sources but obviously I can't just pan L & R, so I put the Time Adjuster delay on one, and check the phase in mono.
Not sure if that's the way to do it or if there are more/better options.
2 different mics as well on the one guitar cab.
Ya Glenn!
Whats the point of the Haas-Effect then ?? Exactly like you said, so many people are teaching this as a "trick" but it always sounds like rubbish when switched to mono? Also a tutorial on how to fix phase issues would be nice! Its a topic i cant really get my head around yet and especially on Synths with slightly detuned oscillators and all sorts of stereo widening going on (I produce techno btw) I wonder how to fix those phase issues but keeping a fat and wide Sound.
Great! I will definitely do a video on that! Thanks ever so much